Melbourne-based Kiwi Fabian Coulthard secured his maiden
round win in the Wright Patton Shakespeare Carrera Cup after
an edge-of-the-seat battle with Jim Richards at the Clipsal
500 in Adelaide this weekend.

With the ledger even at a race win apiece, Coulthard
(Glenfords Tool Centres / Makita) and Richards (OAMPS
Insurance Brokers) knew that today's race three winner would
return home with the spoils.

When the green light went, Coulthard got off to a rocketship
start to lead Richards and Team VIP Petfoods duo Luke Youlden
and Klark Quinn around the first 3.22km circuit.

The 22-year-old who is about to embark on a Porsche Supercup
test in Germany at the end of the month, put a small gap on
his rivals over the first three laps before Richards set the
fastest lap of the day on the fourth circuit.

Then on lap five, 19-year-old reigning Formula Ford champion
David Reynolds (Bob Jane T-Marts) had a major shunt into the
wall on the high-speed turn eight which required the Wright
Patton Shakespeare Safety Car.

Reynolds walked away with no injury, however the Number-14
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car he is campaigning will require
significant repairs by his Sonic Motor Racing crew before the
next round in Barbagallo in six weeks.

After three safety car laps, Coulthard had to use all of his
skill and concentration to keep the former series champion in
Richards behind him for the final four laps.

He managed to do this after a last turn lunge by Richards was
to no avail, and last year's rookie winner claimed his first
ever round win in the Wright Patton Shakespeare Carrera Cup.

"This is a great way to start the Wright Patton Shakespeare
Carrera Cup season," said Coulthard. "Jim is a great
competitor and makes you work and concentrate all the way to
the line, and there will be fantastic racing all season
long."

The Glenfords Tool Centres-backed driver now sits atop the
championship standings with 174 points with Richards in
second on 168 points.

Impressive rookie Youlden, fresh from V8 Supercar racing in
past seasons, got faster and faster as the weekend
progressed, ending up on the podium in his first-ever
official Porsche round.

Youlden's best lap time in race three was less than
one-tenth of a second behind Coulthard's best time in the
final race, showing his improvement and ability to match the
top duo in coming rounds.

Quinn ended up fifth in race three which was enough to give
him fourth place overall for the round. Paul Cruickshank
Racing's Jonathon Webb was sixth today and for the round,
while the youngest driver in the field Ian Dyk (Glenfords
Tool Centres / DeWalt, AEG), 19, placed an impressive
seventh.

Melbourne's Dean Grant (Aqua-Max Water Heaters) leads the
TAG Heuer Carrera Challenge after round one for amateur
drivers over 35 years in a 2003-spec Porsche.

Youlden's performances have also given him an early lead in
the Michelin Porsche Driver to Europe and Michelin Rookie of
the Year awards.

After a tumultuous weekend, Peter Fitzgerald (Abcor / Acer)
made up plenty of ground in race three to lead the Fuchs Hard
Charger award alongside the winner for the past two seasons
Tony Quinn (Team VIP Petfoods).

Round two of the Wright Patton Shakespeare Carrera Cup is
scheduled for Barbagallo Raceway in Perth from May 6 to 8.
Trackside on Network Ten will telecast the Wright Patton
Shakespeare Carrera Cup at the Clipsal 500 on Sunday March 27
from 2pm.

The Wright Patton Shakespeare Carrera Cup is the most
successful 'one make' championship in the world, and is the
primary support category to the V8 Supercar Championship
Series in Australia.

All cars in the Wright Patton Shakespeare Carrera Cup are
developed and built by Porsche's racing arm in Weissach,
Germany. With a top speed in excess of 300 kilometres per
hour, the lightweight, high performance vehicles have a 400
horsepower, 6 cylinder Boxer engine which revs to 8000 RPM,
producing a sound that is distinctly Porsche.
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